This invention relates to testing equipment and, more particularly, to testing equipment for determining the presence of a voltage spike suppressor in an inductive device.
In the manufacture of inductive devices such as, for example, relay coils, it is common practice to produce such devices on an assembly line and then to transfer the devices to another location for encapsulation. Depending upon the final intended use, the device may be constructed either with or without a voltage suppressor incorporated therein. The suppressor is utilized to reduce the amplitude of the inductive voltage spike produced by the collapsing flux field when power is removed from the inductive device. For example, if the device is to be used in a semiconductor circuit, voltage suppression may be a necessity to prevent destruction of the semiconductors upon removal of power from the device. During the manufacturing process, inductive devices of both configurations may be delivered for encapsulation at the same time and may become intermingled during the encapsulation process. Because of the relatively small size of the voltage suppressor, it is virtually impossible to visually distinguish between the two configurations once they have been encapsulated. Consequently, it becomes necessary to provide either elaborate safety procedures to attempt to prevent intermingling or to provide for testing of the devices for spike suppression after encapsulation. In order to assure that devices intended for use where voltage suppression is necessary include such suppressors, it has been found necessary to provide some means for testing the encapsulated devices for spike suppression.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an economical and efficient mechanism for testing for the presence of a voltage suppressor in an inductive circuit.